Middle Men http://middlemendoc.com
(working title)Tue, 13 Feb 2018 16:43:45 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4https://i1.wp.com/middlemendoc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/MindzPictures.jpg?fit=32%2C32Middle Men http://middlemendoc.com
3232141107082Meet Mrs. Kadiatou Diallohttp://middlemendoc.com/meet-mrs-kadiatou-diallo/
Mon, 12 Feb 2018 21:52:39 +0000http://middlemendoc.com/?p=919Kadiatou Diallo recounts in a soft but vibrant voice, “He used to listen to Bruce Springsteen’s born in the USA, I think he loved America even before he came”.
Photo courtesy of Kadiatou Diallo. This picture can also be found on her the cover of her book.

He spoke 5 languages and loved America even before he came. Amadou came to America for an education, but his education was cut short when he was mistakenly killed by law enforcement in 1999. Amadou always wanted to help people, and through the Amadou Diallo foundation, his mother has given him the chance.

Kadiato Diallo drives home a message of hope. She believes that the police and community absolutely must work together to achieve change and is open to the Amadou Diallo Foundation she runs partnering with police departments.

Additionally, the Amadou Diallo Foundation awards scholarships at the Bronx Community College to those who need financial assistance. Each scholarship awarded is an opportunity to spread her son’s love and drive for education even further. In Middlemen we see how Amadou’s legacy come full circle when Komi Attiso, scholar recipient is teaching a group of students Chemistry at Bronx Community College. The students are eager and engaged in Chemistry equations. Komi is one of the most sought out teachers at the college. Because of the ADF award, Komi explains that he knows about Amadou’s story.

Komi Attitso is a Amadou Diallo Scholarship Recipient. He is speaking with his students after an intense Chemistry class.

‘I AM Not Broken‘ centers in on the idea that throughout history Black men and women have been resilient despite slavery, white supremacy, Jim Crow, and the continued oppression of 2018 committed in harmony with the criminal justice system.

In Middlemen, surviving loved ones of those killed by law enforcement carry their loved ones legacy to the public. They rise up against stereotypes, criticisms, and the media in order to pursue what seems sensible given the nature of the act, an indictment against the police officer who is responsible for their loved ones death. 99 bullets and counting. This is the accumulation of bullets fired at 4 of the 5 interviewees of this film. 1 banned choke hold. A result of a minor ‘Broken Windows’ offense for selling loose cigarettes in front of a store. Despite the tragic circumstances around each case, the survivors unite for victories in legislation, foundations in their children’s names, rallies, and supportive survivor groups.

‘I Am Not Broken‘ is reflective of those who are targeted because of the color of their skin. I Am is a statement of reflection, projection, and of the Creator.

I Am as a reflection of self speaking through the eyes of self. The true voice.

I Am as a projection is how someone else projects their labels, judgments, and categories, while I Am is a name for the creator in biblical texts.

We could see I Am from the creator as the way God sees us or how the unconscious unknown self sees the conscious self.

You are welcome to take a moment to look at this picture from each perspective noted above. 1st as you see the man in the picture, then put yourself in his place. Notice any feelings that come up, accept them and decide to learn from them.

Perception is important. Because of perception, a mass number of people are labeled because of their appearance and are subject to civil and human rights abuses daily. Racial targeting, quota driven policing, mass incarceration, and biased laws amass enough energy to harness a thriving prison industrial complex. The mass incarceration that ensues because of prisons creates a chain of events that affect urban communities in an adverse way. The nature of events connected directly to slavery and America’s addiction for cheap or free labor. Recidivism proves that this method of dealing with crime is not inherently in the best interest of any ones community. I AM can be a projection but there is far more power as a state of reflection.

This is why the painting’s broken background, though similar to the idea of a broken window, is important. Not Broken is the resilience displayed by communities of color everyday to rise above discrimination with grace. Not Broken Windows, Not The War on Drugs, Not Gentrification, Not Police Killings, Not any form of oppression can stop an indomitable spirit so I AM becomes more about an opportunity or a choice when defining self. Also it is unavoidable for people to not project their own feelings and idea’s onto other but understanding how we look at others is check your own biases. I Am in terms of the Creator is a way of being faithful that there is more to us than we can even see. It was been noted by great teachers that we are all works of progress, it is not who we are today but were we are going that makes all the difference.

In the context of police officers. Those who we interviewed on camera were courageous enough to speak about life behind the blue wall. They too experience the harsh reality of making hundreds of moral decision’s each day. With pressures to produce arrest and summons, they are beginning to rely more heavily on projection despite their own reservations. Many did not sign up to become officers in order to stop people for low level offenses. Many signed up because they wanted to help their communities. They see their reflections as protectors, people risking their lives to help others. Yet, despite there reflection, the brewing data system call Compstat pushes them in the expectation of numbers. If it was merely a matter of racism on an individual level, then the problem of racism could be solved. Racism is systematic, it is written into policies and laws. Additionally, media has influenced a great deal of what attitudes and behaviors are projected onto Black Men.

How a person defines crime says a lot about how criminal activity is dealt with based on each police department and why certain crimes like selling drugs out weigh say bankers fraud or why East New York will be treated differently than say Park Slope in Brooklyn. Each arrest has an effect. Each unwarranted stop has a consequence that ends in mis-trust. It is critical for these interactions to completely stop.

It has been proven that police officers get the best results when they work with the community. It is also proven that reducing poverty and investing into communities to support business development, jobs, and youth programs has an amazing effect on reducing crime. In a case of investment, I AM can mean so much but we must listen to people when they tell us who THEY are. It can provide a wealth of esteem, trust, and progress to our society.

]]>912Who is Hawa Bahhttp://middlemendoc.com/who-is-hawa-bah/
Thu, 08 Feb 2018 20:52:27 +0000http://middlemendoc.com/?p=882Hawa Bah takes us to the home of her late son Mohamed Bah. Pushing on the buzzer to his apartment, a ringing sound emerges but no one is home. She explains that he was killed by police officers after she called for an ambulance. “He was a good boy and never bothered no one”. Growing up, Mohamed was like the man of the house who always tried to help everybody. He came to the United States at 16 years old for an education. In high school he was an honor roll student, and in college he did well.
Hawa Bah being comforted by supporters on Day one of the Mohamed Bah civil trial.

Mohamed came to the U.S. in search of a better life and an education. When he fell ill, Hawa flew to him so she could help. Police responded before an ambulance did. Hawa offered to help the officers, but they refused. Mohamed was shot multiple times.

She seeks to restore Mohamed’s honor and help his legacy live on. The final hearing in the case was held in a federal civil court on November 1st, 2017. The civil trial lasted 14 days. The Mohamed Bah estate was awarded by a jury 2.215 million dollars.

According to a statement released by the NYPD’s media department, they do not agree with the jury’s decision and plan to appeal.

]]>882Keep Them Involved In the Processhttp://middlemendoc.com/keeptheminvolvedintheprocess/
Thu, 08 Feb 2018 17:55:38 +0000http://middlemendoc.com/?p=862“Keeping people involved in the process” as Edwin Mejia shared on the Futuro Digital Conference panel at the Latino Film Festival in New York City, it seems like a simple statement but it stuck out. Keeping them involved in the process is a reminder that we are not alone in our decision-making. From a macro level to the most micro levels of interaction, we have the ability to safely bring people into our world and take the necessary steps forward for progress and change. A purpose driven team can emulate the good qualities that leadership presents because they visibly see their leaders setting examples.

In the case of Compstat and policing we see a complete disconnect between law enforcement and the community because for one, the community is not involved in the process. This also applies to the internal mechanisms of management listening to the voice of officers who work day in and day out in the community. Number based policing has been opposed by many rank and file officers, yet their voice is unheard. In a 2013 study by PERF (Police Executive Research Forum) and BJA (Bureau of Justice Assistance), Appendix B of the document provides the results of a survey about departmental use of Compstat. One thing immediately recognizable is that only executive management took part in this survey study. By the report, Compstat in many departments was deemed as a revolutionary crime fighting model but those responsible for executing the polices and arrests associated with Compstat’s data had other views. In MiddleMen, we discuss this dangerous disconnect between higher ups and patrol officers, those working day in and day out with the community. Quotas, numbers, crime indexes and statistics are subject to interpretation by the individual logging the data and has repeatedly lead to mis-classification of crime and racial targeting.

Only now are we starting to see some change under Commissioner O’Neil with the Build the Block initiatives by the NYPD. Still we have a long way to go. Compstat is not all bad but it is a good example at how something meant for evolution can be misused. Many lives have been destroyed and civil rights violated because it is not the end but a means to an end that has not evolved to be as progressive as it could be. The community’s feelings have been mostly forgotten as corporate and business interest benefit from Compstat’s growing use.

Another mention of this statement can also be to our activist. Keeping the public involved in their work and also those that work with in the group. Opportunities for change occur when the public is educated as to why they are better off doing something, whether that is to boycott, share a social media post, or gather at a meeting. Grass roots organizations thrive when the public is keep in the loop and when group members or volunteers are steered with clear direction.

Overall “Keeping people involved in the process” can be a harmonizing and progressive action used to met any goal or objective when sharing your vision with others. Regardless of who you are appealing too, security and empowerment are direct team benefits when it comes to decision making that benefits the final vision.

“I see these two groups of people and I want them to just come together and merge because they’re both being treated in ways that are creating this environment,” says White. “Upper management needs to change it for the betterment of the community, and for the officers that work those communities, to create an environment where there’s less likelihood of people being killed, period.”

White started working on Middlemen three years ago, just a year and a half after she released P.S. I Can’t Breathe, and has for the most part funded the entire film on her own with the exception of a $5,000 grant that she received from the Riverside Church Sharing Fund. She is currently in the post production phase of the film and still working hard to raise money for post production costs. The film features parents of victims of police brutality, including the mother of Eric Garner, the father of Sean Bell, the mother of Amadou Diallo, and others. In the film, White explores the idea that unknowing police officers (middle men) may be contributing to mass incarceration and racism under the CompStat policing model. White’s ultimate goal is to earn a broadcast deal for Middlemen, and to get the film out to as many people as possible.

]]>838Zack Grinfeld | Assistant Editorhttp://middlemendoc.com/zack-grinfeld-assistant-editor/
Mon, 29 Jan 2018 18:27:58 +0000http://middlemendoc.com/?p=834Zach Grinfeld is an Assistant Editor at Mindz Productions working on Middle Men. He is a recent college graduate with a degree in Film Studies and Production with a minor in engineering from Hofstra University. He has worked on several short films and documentaries, and was a production assistant with CBS for the 2016 Presidential Debate at Hofstra.
]]>834Crowdfunding ART!http://middlemendoc.com/crowdfunding-art/
http://middlemendoc.com/crowdfunding-art/#respondTue, 10 Oct 2017 19:56:39 +0000http://middlemendoc.com/?p=729Paintings available as part of packages offered via our Crowdfunding campaign for Documentaries, Middle Men!

]]>http://middlemendoc.com/gotquota-stopquotas-campaign/feed/1578Compstat & Broken Windows: A Brief Historyhttp://middlemendoc.com/compstat-broken-windows-a-brief-history/
http://middlemendoc.com/compstat-broken-windows-a-brief-history/#respondTue, 11 Apr 2017 20:12:29 +0000http://middlemendoc.com/?p=557Credited with reducing subway crime in New York City by twenty-seven percent in the mid-90s, CompStat was originally used as a transit tool, and later to track crime statistics once it was introduced by Willam Bratton in 1994 (CompStat is defined as a combination of management, philosophy, and organizational management tools used by police departments).

One year later, then Mayor Rudolpoh Giuliani introduced his quality of life broken windows policy to the New York City Police Department. Giuliani and Bratton then used CompStat in conjunction with the broken windows policy to promote the notion that the best way to stop bigger crimes from occurring was to target smaller quality of life crimes. While some argue that the broken windows policy was intended to keep neighborhoods clean and crime rates low, others contend that its sole purpose was to create a viable way for police officers to target black and brown folks under the guise of pursuing minor crimes like jay-walking and loose cigarette sales, in order to meet quotas set by CompStat.

Before long CompStat was being used by a number of precincts across the country and the concept of community policing was a thing of the past. This type of policing led to frequent encounters between police officers and community members in urban areas. As a result, discontent with law enforcement in these neighborhoods amplified, thereby increasing instances of police brutality, and arguably causing the civilian death of Eric Garner for the sale of loose cigarettes in Staten Island in 2014.

In Middle Men we explore the ways that CompStat continues to position police officers as “middle men,” simply meeting quotas while unknowingly contributing to a long history of racism and classism that continues to destroy families and communities across the country.

Written by: David Nazario

]]>http://middlemendoc.com/compstat-broken-windows-a-brief-history/feed/0557Marcus Stukes | Editor Assistant-Production Assistanthttp://middlemendoc.com/marcus-stukes-editor-assistant-production-assistant/
http://middlemendoc.com/marcus-stukes-editor-assistant-production-assistant/#respondTue, 28 Feb 2017 13:55:41 +0000http://middlemendoc.com/?p=502Marcus Stukes is from Long Island, NY. He is a graduating senior attending CUNY Brooklyn College with a major in Film Production. He is currently editing two narrative short films in the Brooklyn College Film Department and has been an active member on other projects within the department. He has previously interned with ‘Things Are Changing Productions’ and is a current intern and video editor assistant with ‘Mindz Productions’. After graduation, he plans to continue growing his career in the film industry as a thriving story editor.
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